#Global Industrial Tapes Industry

[24webtechmarket]

The global Expanding Foam Tape market, with a size estimated at USD 2836 million in 2023, is projected to reach USD 4514.00 million by 2032. This represents a growth rate of 5.30% during the forecast period.

In North America, the market size was estimated at USD 807.65 million in 2023, with a projected CAGR of 4.54% from 2024 to 2032.

[sramfact]

Packaging tape printing involves the customization of adhesive tapes with logos, branding, or messages. This practice enhances brand visibility, improves security, and provides tamper-evidence for shipments. It's widely used across industries like logistics, retail, and e-commerce to promote brands and ensure the integrity and authenticity of packaged goods, reflecting a trend toward personalized and secure packaging solutions.

The report "North American Packaging Tape Printing Market by Product Type (Hot Melt, Acrylic Based), Material (Polypropylene, PVC), Printing Ink (Water Based, UV-Curable), Mechanism (Digital, Flexography), End-user (Food & Beverages, Consumer Durables) - Forecast ", the packaging tape printing market size was estimated to grow from USD 5.4 Billion in 2015 to reach USD 7.0 Billion by 2020, at an estimated CAGR of 5.4% from 2015 to 2020.

[market-insider]

Pressure Sensitive Adhesive Tapes Industry: Investigating Market Forces, Competitive Strategies, and Emerging Opportunities

The global pressure sensitive adhesive tapes market size is expected to reach USD 92.45 billion by 2030, expanding at a CAGR of 4.9% from 2022 to 2030, according to a new study by Grand View Research, Inc.This growth can be attributed to the increasing use of pressure sensitive tapes as an optimum alternative to conventional adhesives and fasteners due to the globally rising concerns from the automotive industry to ensure light weighting.

Pressure Sensitive Adhesive Tapes Market Report Highlights

Packaging tapes accounted for the largest revenue share of over 45.0% in 2021 as they are majorly manufactured with plastic as a backing material owing to its easier tearing ability and superior flexibility

The construction segment held a significant revenue share in 2021 owing to robust and durable properties acquired from stronger backing materials

The market demand was boosted owing to the global outbreak of the COVID pandemic in 2020. Consumer shopping trends have switched to online delivery portals for groceries, medicines, and takeaways. This further contributed to the increasing market demand for pressure sensitive adhesive packaging tapes in the global market

The market consists of several global and regional players providing a diversified range of products, thus leading to high competition in the industry. Strategies followed by key players include mergers & acquisitions and vertical integration to gain a competitive edge in the market

Asia Pacific is estimated to register the fastest CAGR from 2022 to 2030 in terms of revenue owing to increasing urban population and rising construction projects

For More Details or Sample Copy please visit link @: Pressure Sensitive Adhesive Tapes Market Report

A surge in the global population coupled with expeditious industrialization and urbanization in the transpiring economies is expected to fuel the construction spending to cater to the demand from the infrastructure sector. This is anticipated to propel the demand for pressure sensitive adhesive tapes in construction applications during the forecast period.

These include specialty tapes used in various applications such as automobile, aerospace, medical, hygiene, and white goods. The raw materials involved in manufacturing this kind of tape include rubber, acrylic, silicone, plastic, and paper. Pressure sensitive adhesive tapes possess various desirable properties such as thinner and lighter material, vibration dampening, noise reduction, and bonding dissimilar surfaces.

Automobile manufacturers are looking for ways to reduce vehicle weight to meet stringent fuel efficiency standards. The use of steel, aluminum, and composites in auto parts bring new bonding challenge for manufacturers. The bonding of these dissimilar materials requires high modulus and a wide temperature range, along with high strength and final curing. Additionally, these tapes are easy to use, hence reducing the effectiveness of traditional bonding methods such as welds and rivets in the vehicle.

There is an increase in demand for pressure sensitive adhesive tapes from the automotive industry for sealing and bonding roof trims and cladding, covering mirror mounting and assembling holes, and carrying out interior placement and enhancement in automobiles. They are also used in electric vehicle batteries owing to their excellent electrical resistance. Pressure sensitive adhesive tapes help improve the speed of the automobile, along with offering better performance in assembly lines than other fastening alternatives.

Pressure sensitive adhesive tapes are more efficient to lower the costs involved when compared to alternative fastening methods. In addition, they are more customizable and require no special tools or any heat, water, and solvent to activate their adherence. Pressure sensitive adhesive sheets allow original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and automotive converters to manufacture a slimmer vehicle with better long-term reliability. Compared to conventional fasteners, screws, and other components, pressure sensitive adhesive tapes offer good cohesive strength, the ability to be manipulated by hand, wetting, and bond strength that increases with time.

PressureSensitiveAdhesiveTapesMarket #PressureSensitiveAdhesiveTapes #AdhesiveTechnology #TapeIndustry #AdhesiveTapes #GlobalTapeMarket #InnovationInAdhesives #PackagingSolutions #AdhesiveTrends #PressureSensitiveAdhesives #IndustrialAdhesives #ProductPackaging #StickyBusiness #TapeManufacturing #SustainableMaterials #BusinessStrategies #GlobalMarketTrends

[universefcb]

Hiii love your work💗💗 can you do an imagine of hector always talking about his pop star girlfriend and going to her rehearsal (someone like Tate McRae)

Lights and shirt 32

Pairing: Hector Fort X gf!reader

Summary: You're dating Hector Fort, Barcelona's prodigy, and he's obsessed with you. He always comes to your rehearsals.

Warning: no <3

Author's note: Sorry for my absence, I'm tired these days, but I'll bring all the requests to you💗

And sorry if there are mistakes, English is not my language.I hope this is what you asked for!

The Barcelona dressing room was as busy as ever, but Héctor Fort was quiet, sitting in his corner, taping his ankles with absent-minded ease. His thoughts were not on the game, nor on the coach who was talking about marking and quick transitions.

“Wake up, Hector,” Balde laughed, throwing a wet towel in his direction.

Héctor just smiled from the corner of his mouth.

“I'm just thinking.”

“In her again?” Gavi asked, without even looking.

“Always on it,” he replied, with a smile, as if it were obvious.

Her. The girl who won over crowds with her husky voice and magnetic stage presence. The one who appeared at the biggest festivals with precise choreography and lyrics that stuck in your mind. The one who dressed like a pop hurricane and danced like the world was going to end with the next chorus.

His girlfriend.

The press was still trying to understand the couple: the discreet full-back and the global star. But for Héctor, it made perfect sense. She was his favorite mess, his organized chaos, and he would calm her down in the midst of all the flashes.

When practice was over, he drove straight to her rehearsal studio—a converted industrial warehouse in Poblenou, with exposed brick walls, huge mirrors, and the constant smell of coffee and sweat. She was there, in the center of the room, wearing a black tank top, sweatpants that hung low on her hips, and chunky sneakers, her hair pulled back in a messy bun.

The beat of the music filled the space and Héctor stood in the doorway, unnoticed, just watching. She moved with fierce precision, every step measured, every movement timed perfectly. But what moved him most was the look in the mirror—focused, fierce, mesmerizing.

“Fort is drooling,” whispered one of the dancers, laughing as she passed him.

He just raised his hands in surrender.

“I don’t deny it.”

When the music stopped, she turned, gasping, and their eyes met. Her smile was immediate, as if the world had stopped for a second just to remind her that he existed.

“You came,” he said, walking up to him.

“Of course I came. Do you think I would miss this?”

She laughed, wrapping her arms around his waist, her face still hot from the exertion. He ran his fingers down her back, to the elastic of her top.

“You look so beautiful dancing… like, absurdly beautiful” he whispered in her ear.

“Are you trying to distract me?”

“Always. I want you to miss a step just because you thought of me.”

She bit her lip, pulling him closer.

“You are an idiot.”

“You idiot.”

She pushed away with a light push, returning to the center of the room.

“Stay there. I want to show you a new choreography.”

Héctor sat on the floor, leaning against the wall, his eyes glued to her. When the music started again, slower, almost painful, he saw every line of her body tell a story—of pain, desire, longing. It was a new song, he had never heard it before.

“Is this song about me?” he asked when it was over.

She just smiled, walking slowly towards him.

“Maybe. Do you think you deserve it?”

“I think you think about me more than you admit in your lyrics.”

“Arrogant,” she whispered, sitting on his lap, sweaty, still panting.

He hugged her tightly, as if the outside world didn't exist.

“If I were you, I would write a song called Héctor, full of dramatic choruses and verses talking about how I am the man of your life.”

“Maybe I already wrote it.”

Silence fell between them, complicit and warm. She rested her forehead on his and sighed.

“Promise you’ll be at the show on Saturday?”

“Front row. Shirt number 32. Your biggest fan.”

She smiled, with that look only he knew—the look of the girl behind the pop star.

“I love you, Hec”

“Me too, Mi estrella ” (My star)

Taglist: @paucubarsisimp @nngkay @meganesanchez @merinottt @htpssgavi @luvvpedri @moonvr @joaosnovia @httpsdana @ilovebarcaaaa @p4uul0vr

[starryhyuck]

tiny dancer. (m) — PATREON EXCLUSIVE

pairing: balletmentor!hyuck x afab!ballerina!reader

words: 8.3k+

summary: your dreams of becoming a professional ballet dancer lie in the hands of lee donghyuck.

genre: fluff, smut

warnings: public sex, fingering, blowjob, ballet horndogs, pussy eating, overstimulation, squirting, choking

this fic is exclusive to the $5 tier on my patreon, which you can access here! below is a tumblr preview

The best thing about the Academy is its ability to encourage the most timid of dancers to come out of their shell and bask in the spotlight. The worst thing about the Academy is its ability to pick apart every flaw that you weren’t even aware you had.

It all comes to a head in your last year, when the National Ballet Company is meant to evaluate your performance and decide whether or not you have the chops to become a professional dancer full time. You’re so desperate for their approval that you’ll do anything to succeed, even if it means putting up with the insufferable Lee Donghyuck.

“I would think there was a treasure map in that mirror from the way you keep staring at it.”

You huff, stumbling over your fouetté as you glare at him. He sits in the corner of the room, twirling the remote in his hands that’s used to play the music. He’s staring at his fingernails but you know he’s quietly observing you like a hawk. Nothing about your routine slips past this man, even on the nights you wish he wasn’t paying attention.

“I need to see myself to know if I’m doing well,” you reply defensively.

Donghyuck laughs. “Do you think you’ll have a mirror on stage when you’re in front of hundreds of people watching your every move? You have to trust yourself. It’s the only way the company will treat you with respect. They don’t hire dancers who need to see their fouetté to know that it’s working.”

You clench your jaw, holding back a few choice words that will surely land you in a punishment of pirouettes all night.

Donghyuck had been the star pupil of his year, shining brighter than any other dancer in the class and catching the eye of many choreographers on a global scale. You used to hear whispers about him constantly in the halls, with most of the girls squealing in excitement whenever he walked past. He was the hot shot on campus, which is why it came as such a devastating blow when he broke his ankle at his first show. The crack of his bone echoed throughout the theater, inciting gasps from everyone as they watched the talented Lee Donghyuck destroy his career before it could even begin.

It’s why he now has the time to coach you for your audition. His ankle is still taped up and he has to walk on crutches while a bored expression remains permanently on his face. He lost the spark he was so famous for possessing, being able to light up a room with his laugh.

You’re not certain why Donghyuck chose you out of all people to mentor. He had a line out the door of beautiful dancers who were far more graceful, and had much better chances of making it far in the industry. But he wanted to advise you, and you can’t say if it was for the better or worse considering how eager he is to make you feel like the worst ballerina in the world.

“Show it to me again without the mirror,” he instructs, getting ready to press play on the remote. “Make me feel what you’re supposed to be feeling. You’ve been given the ultimate test in this dance — ballet or love. I want to see the conflict stirring inside you.”

You exhale before getting into position, avoiding gazing at the mirror and allowing the dance to take over your body. You’ve picked the most emotionally-driven routine out of your back pocket, hoping you could make up for what you lack in technique. Your teachers have consistently praised you for being able to win over the room by dancing with your heart on your sleeve, and you’re counting on this advantage for your company audition.

You twirl until your feet grow blisters on top of blisters, wanting to prove to Donghyuck that you could do this. After all, he was staking his own reputation on the line for you. If you failed miserably, rumors would spread regarding his inability to dance for himself and his lack of good teaching.

By the time you finish, you’re exhausted and spent. Dancing used to feel like you were flying through the air, but lately, it’s been nothing but a means to an end.

Donghyuck doesn’t clap for you. He sits in his chair, musing to himself as he rubs two fingers over his chin. You place your hands over your hips, sighing to yourself as you blow stray hairs away from your face.

He comes to a conclusion, setting the remote down and grabbing his crutches. He balances himself until he’s standing, and he hobbles over to you. “No practice for the next week,” he says, startling you by his instruction.

“I’m sorry, what?” You clarify, taken aback. “This audition is in less than a month. I’m not taking a break.”

He shakes his head. “You have the technique and you have the emotion. The only thing you’re lacking right now is the love for the art. I can see it draining slowly from you with each passing day. You can’t become a principal dancer if you hate putting on your pointe shoes.”

Your bottom lip trembles. “Donghyuck, I can’t fuck this up.”

You think about your parents back home who have supported you devoutly. You think about the countless nights you’ve spent in the cold practice room. You think about the money you’ve shelled into a constant supply of pointe shoes and leotards. Every moment in your life has been leading up to this audition, and the thought of your dream crumbling around you is too much to bear.

“You won’t,” he says with confidence, resting his hands on your shoulders as his crutches dig into his underarms. You stare into his eyes, which hold the same determined look you used to identify in posters of him scattered across the city. “I know you won’t. I’ve never let a student’s potential fade under my training.”

“I’m your first and only student.”

He grins. “Exactly.”

want to read the rest? access the $5 tier on my patreon here!

[smute]

btw do we all agree that severance is set in an alternate history in which the confederacy won the american civil war or is that still a niche take? i can't tell. like it makes so much sense to me, but i've also noticed that a lot of fan theories about cold harbor seem to conveniently gloss over the significance of the name. not to mention the clear slavery parallels and lumon's uncanny white supremacy vibes.

basickly, the battle of cold harbor ended in an unprecedentedly bloody defeat for the union army. in the lexington letter (companion e-book to the show written by the creators) the macrodata file is called lexington. there were two battles of lexington—both confederate victories. we also know that kier eagan served as a military doctor and founded lumon industries in 1865. they started with "topical salves" which could either be just a vague description or maybe a euphemism for something else. the civil war popularized the practice of embalming. imo the vagueness of the term is conspicuous. at one point we also see an old lumon industries label with the similarly vague description "pharmaceutical interventions." and ofc it all matches the strange sanitized rhetoric surrounding the severed floor and the severance procedure in general.

there are many covert civil war references in the show (see the linked reddit posts below for a complete list), but the most conspicuous of them is the claim that lumon operates in 206 countries (one of the posts says 205 but thats an error), which is 11 more than we currently have, with 193 UN members, vatican city, and palestine. the confederacy was all about limiting federal power so it's not far-fetched to assume that the south would've been at risk of balkanization over the next major domestic conflict. all things being equal, the 11 confederate states breaking up would explain the number 206.

another possible effect of a confederate victory: both confederate and union states would likely be less prosperous and the usa would not have become the kind of global power that it currently is. i'm not qualified enough to speculate about the ramifications for US involvement in subsequent conflicts, but it's safe to say that a successful secession would've resulted in very different international alliances. not least because the confederate states would have faced extreme pressure over the issue of slavery. the point is, wars are a catalyst for progress. modern technological advancements are often born from necessity in major conflicts or during their aftermath. the very obvious discrepancy between the show's (near) present-day setting and the retrofuturist aesthetic (cars, crt screens, cell phones, phone booths, tape recorders, computers. laser discs, etc.) with its absence/delay of modern tech would align perfectly with a drastically altered timeline of history.

sources: this reddit post, its addendum, and this very detailed proposed timeline

[delulu-archives]

Love Me Lights Out (Jeon Wonwoo x Reader)

Wonwoo shook the planet with his iconic MAMA 2019 entrance — blue hair, red robe, dark evil gaze, and soul-crushing voice. He held a different type of power that day, holding you like putty in his hands in total surrender.

His possessive side was on full display when a certain someone got a little too close to you during the intimate and private after-party.

This can be read as stand-alone fic but this happened within Love in Vinyl universe/timeline. I highly recommend you give that a read. 💜

Note: Wonwoo x producer!reader, smut, explicit smut, dom/sub themes, AU, established relationship, penetration, oral (m and f receiving), fingering, overstimulation, multiple big Os, unprotected sex, fluff, unedited, 18+ Series: Love in Vinyl Inspired by John Mayer's rendition of XO.

Ready for it? 'Cause I am. Dear reader, here is the next part of our Love in Vinyl series. Thank you for giving your love to LIV, darlings. Who wouldn't love to see Wonwoo's possessive side? Shameless, explicit smut, everyone. Some dom/sub themes, reader was weak and whipped for Wonwoo's gentle dominance. Plus some tooth-rotting fluff bonus ending. 😌💜 Yuletide and In the Soop 2 shots coming soon, darlings.

I pour my blood, sweat, tears, and delulu dusts to write this. Please help me protect my work while reaching more delulu darlings who may find escape here, too. 💜 Word count: 7,360 Cross-Posted on AO3

Your love is bright as ever Even in the shadows Baby, kiss me Before they turn the lights out Your heart is glowing And I'm crashing into you Baby, kiss me kiss me Before they turn the lights out Before they turn the lights out Baby, love me lights out In the darkest night I'll search through the crowd, Your face is all that I see I'll give you everything Baby, love me lights out Baby, love me lights out We don't have forever Baby, daylight's wasting You better kiss me Before our time has run out Nobody sees what we see They're just hopelessly gazing Baby, take me take me Before they turn the lights out Before time has run out Baby, love me lights out I love you like XO You love me like XO You kill me, girl, XO You love me like XO In the darkest night I'll search through the crowd, Your face is all that I see I'll give you everything Baby, love me lights out You can turn my lights out

Manic. That's always your answer whenever junior producers ask you what awards shows are like based from your experience.

That year, you expected it to be different in various ways. 2019 was the year when K-Pop continued growing its footprint and reaching global scale, one group at a time. The year changed the trajectory of how k-pop was perceived and received especially with western audiences, and you saw it first hand.

Over the past six years, you had always been present behind the scene with BTS as they painstakingly conquered these awards shows, culminating their effort and hardwork during such tedious times. You shared tears and joys with them, especially during MAMA 2018 when they gave such powerful reminder on how tough the industry could be. Hoshi and Seungkwan even shared with you that they were fighting back tears especially when J-Hope started crying during the speech. You knew how much Seventeen could relate to BTS and you also saw how BTS also supported Seventeen during their starting years, given that their roots were alike - both groups were self-made, both were their respective company's saving grace. 

BTS used to practice in dank, murky practice room that was often flooded, while Seventeen used to tape regular earphones so they could have make-shift in-ear monitors during their first performances. Both groups conquered those adversaries, started from rock bottom and climbed their way to the top with Blood, Sweat, and Tears. You could not be more proud to see those groups you love shine in one stage once more. 

-

December was for awards shows and both sides of your coin were busy with their respective performances, with BTS ending their last leg of Love Yourself tour and Seventeen ending the first leg of their Ode to You tour. 

You were just supposed to just be in the audience that day, hoping to just enjoy and watch the show without working. You were excited to watch their performances after seeing glimpse of it during rehearsals and you really needed your break already. 

You requested the month off few months before, knowing just how restless the year was for you as part of the creatives team of these groups. While your job was mainly around their variety contents and documentaries, supporting touring groups also meant you were flying across the globe when needed, too. Apart from that, it was already apparent that the acquisition would be made formal and official the following year - it was long time coming. You already assumed backlash would happen and as someone who already faced such with BTS alone, the artists' welfare was always your top priority. Business decisions would be made, but you were determined to ensure that Seventeen would feel even more at home with your plans for the following year. You knew that the creatives and think-tank would be required to work twice as hard to ensure that contents and shows would be even grander both for the artists and the fans. 

Your supposed break during MAMA 2019, however, did not come into fruition. You received a call from one of BTS' senior producers a week prior and pleaded you to cover for him during the show to film and produce the behind the scene of the show for BTS. The producer had to take time off as his wife had to give birth prematurely and you did not have the heart to deny the request. So, you brought your work stuff along with you and flew to Nagoya two days prior the show without telling your boyfriend that he might just see you spinning in the backstage.

Your call time for the show was at 7:00 AM. With various performances, it was pivotal to have everyone around and ready before the rehearsals and pre-show shoots commence. 

You arrived just in the nick of time, already huddled with your assigned camera directors and assistant producer to discuss how things should run. You spent the whole night reviewing the production guide sent to you and polishing it with the timelines of that day's show so there would be smoother coverage and to avoid causing too much distraction during the busy day. 

BTS arrived an hour later so they can prepare under their make-up chairs while the show floor directors were instructing everyone. You remained quietly hiding on the side, typing away and monitoring the footages being taken by one of your cameramen. Once the show's PD left, finally revealed youself earning a booming scream from Hoseok who was shocked to see you there. The team held you one by one, saying they missed you as the last time they saw you last was early October. 

"Happy birthday, WWH!" You greeted when Jin entered the dressing room after washing up. 

"Woaaah!! What are you doing here? Are you here to film? Waaah, you can't make me do silly things today it's my birthday." The man exclaimed, followed by his windshield wiper laugh and gave you a quick hug. 

Your presence was always familiar so being there was business as usual, seven years and counting. 

-

Wonwoo messaged you a little later saying that they were already on the way to the venue and that he was excited to see you in the audience. You spent the whole night talking on the phone with him thinking your flight was in the morning of that day. Little did he know, you were already in the venue working your ass off.

Nothing can ever match how loud Seventeen is. When they arrived, everyone knew it was them, hollering in the background as they greeted everyone with such bright, contagious energy and entered their dressing room across BTS'. 

You excused yourself from your team so you can greet your other family, silently walking towards their dressing room, index finger on your lips to shush the others who saw you to stay quiet as you approached your blue-haired man leaning against the door frame. He was busy typing on his phone, eyes still heavy as he rubbed them while yawning. Your phone vibrated and a messaged flashed on the screen.

"We're here, baby. See you later."

You held back a chuckle. Finally standing behind him, you answered his message by muttering a cheerful, "I know."

Wonwoo turned in a flash, eyes widening and hand covering his mouth when he saw you standing there. "Woah!" 

"Good morning, babe." Wide smile painted your face at his reaction.

"H-how?" He inquired, heart fluttering at your presence as he held your hand and pulled you inside the dressing room, waving at the other members who were also surprised you were there.

"Had to cover for a PD due to an emergency."

"I thought you would be in the audience!" He spoke softly, shoulders drooping slightly when he finally engulfed you in a tight hug after a week of not seeing each other.

You just chuckled when he asked you a week prior why you did not book the same hotel as them, and you just made up some silly excuse saying it was for the whole 'audience' experience. They were in the same hotel with BTS and some other artists, and you were just in the hotel a block away, essentially cooped up in your room to avoid running into anyone of them before your surprise. 

"I missed you. I am happy you're here."

"I missed you too."

You returned his hug and stole a quick peck on his lips while everyone was busy. "I'll still be in the audience once you're on stage." You winked at him and his heartthrob smile widened as he let you go. 

"I'll look for you in the crowd, baby. I'll have my eyes on you alone."

He smirked.

Dangerously.

-

Seventeen was part of the last artists to perform, with only two performances between them and BTS. It gave you ample time to get a camera so you can go where the camera directors in front of the main stage were and watch Seventeen's performance, as promised.

Shivers ran down your spine at the chilling entrance, even when they hadn't even started the performance yet. You saw them rehearse couple of times, but somehow, everything felt new. The crowd went wild with ear splitting screams when the music finally started. 

It was a dark opening, hooded figures in red with one person on the spotlight - Wonwoo. Despite his robe, you could see his broad shoulders and notice the way he ascended the stairs with such a different vibe and aura especially when he pulled down the hood, revealing himself.

You saw that in rehearsals, but somehow you were taken into another world. His eyes were cold as ice, staring sharply into the audience as he bit and crushed the candied rose. He held an intense gaze as he devoured the intro with his deep, raspy voice, officially opening their ensemble. 

Wonwoo captured your attention throughout the whole performance effortlessly, even meeting his eyes from time to time as he smirked at you. You were helplessly drawn to his magnetic aura and familiar warmth and sensation filled your body. He was scrochingly and devilishly handsome as they broke the stage.

When their performance ended, Wonwoo saw you backstage gave you yet another salacious smirk as he retreated to the dressing room.

Such power he held over you.

Two bottles of ice-cold water did nothing to quench your unexplainable thirst.

-

To say that you were on an emotional high during the show was an understatement. You were ecstatic over the wins of BTS and Seventeen, quite teary even, because you had seen just how massive their successes were which were all very much deserved after their years and years of hardwork. Then, you were blown away by their performances, and of course, your boyfriend's stage presence.

After the award show, Jungkook and Mingyu hosted and organised an intimate and private party, and BTS, SVT, and only very few other groups and colleagues were there. 

After freshening up in your hotel, you arrived at the luxurious and private roof deck bar where the party was, donning a simple black dress and a pair of comfortable heels. It was rare for them to see you all glammed up, given that as a PD, you were constantly in sneakers and comfortable clothing so running around was easier. Wonwoo could not wipe the smile off his face upon seeing you all dressed up for the party, as if mesmerized by you.

BTS, Seventeen, and some of their friends mingled and drank merrily. Jungkook and Mingyu were goofing around like bunch of kids. Yoongi and Woozi were talking about music looking like twins. Joshua, Jeonghan, and Seungcheol were with Taehyung and Jimin catching up while the others were chilling or catching up with the staff members. It was a joy to see them like that, even Wonwoo was laughing around and comfortable with them.

You noticed however that birthday boy was quiet in the corner of the banquet. Being an introvert, Jin had always found social gatherings quite daunting, just like your boyfriend. 

While Wonwoo was busy with his members, you joined Jin by the corner of the banquet hall, drinking your second glass of margarita that day. 

"Why are you not socializing? It's supposed to be your birthday." 

Jin just shook his head and laughed, saying it was not his forte. And you understood that. You spent some time catching up with him until Jimin approached you, pulling the two of you to the floor to dance. 

"I am so tired, Jimin.." you complained but the man just smirked, wrapping his arms around your waist. 

"Just one song!" He insisted, twirling you around. 

Jimin always had that flirtatious flair with everything he does. It was not as though he was flirting with you blatantly, but he always liked making you blush for sure. 

"I heard you have a boyfriend, Y/N." His full lips curled up into a smirk as if pleased to have caught you off guard.

"Why? Were you surprised?" 

"Mhm, you could say that. You denied me once before." Jimin teased, reminding you of his attempt to woo you years back, and it made you throw your head and chuckle. 

"We were too young then."

Jimin just smirked and nodded pulling you closer as you danced with your other friends before you finally freed your self about a minute or two later.

From a distance, though, Wonwoo was intently observing at how Jimin was looking at you, and he did not like it at all. His gaze was poisonous, lethal, even.

-

You joined the group where your boyfriend was and he immediately looped his arm around your waist and drew you against his side as if showcasing that you were his. 

"Hi love," he mumbled, pressing a soft kiss on your forehead which took you aback. He never was that comfortable doing that in front of others before, but you could not deny that the bold gesture made your heart flutter.

"Hey. You drank a lot already." 

"No, not yet." He smirked down at you, his attention solely on you as he rubbed your back gently. "You having fun? Or are you tired and want to go home?"

One of the many things you love about Wonwoo is that he is always sensible. He has always been sensitive about how you are feeling because he pays attention to you and somehow naturally senses how you feel. 

You smiled up at him and pressed your body closer to him.

"Maybe we can leave earlier? You had a long day." He added, tucking a strand of your loose hair behind your ear and caressing your face. Such unusual gesture from him, especially in front of your friends and other people though they were busy. At one point however, Wonwoo shifted his gaze and you were in the right mind to follow its direction. That was when you finally realized it - Wonwoo was looking at Jimin who was watching the two of you, and he was asserting his edge on the situation. Your boyfriend's innate possessive side got triggered with how flirty Jimin was with you earlier, one thing you should've considered sooner.

"I'd love that." You answered, wrapping your arm around his back as well, as if a silent reminder to ease the building storm inside him.

Few moments later, you had to excuse yourself so you can go to the empty ladies room, only for Wonwoo to tail behind you quietly.

Wonwoo stood up from the leaned position he was in against the wall as he waited and walked up to you when you left that bathroom. He placed his hands on your shoulders slightly and pushed you playfully back inside, guiding you into a cubicle, locking the door behind you as he snaked his hands over the fabric of your dress, placing his forehead lightly against yours.

"Hey! We might get caught!" You shushed, looking him with wide eyes as your knees wobbled from his gentle teasing.

"Don't pretend like you don't know I've wanted to get you alone since this morning." He whispered softly as he placed a trail of kisses over your skin, from your cheeks and down your neck before capturing your lips in a searing kiss. "And it seems like it's not just me who wants you." His voice muffled against his demanding kiss which made you melt against his arms which were looped around you possessively.

"What are you talking about?" 

"Come on, babe. You know what I am talking about." He growled under his breath, chasing your lips for more when you started pulling away slightly, pressing your hands against his chest.

"Baby. Babe... listen."

He just gave you a cheeky smirk, chuckling at the worried look on your face as you wiped your smeared lipstick off his lips.

"Hm?"

"Wonwoo."

He arched his brow, "What?" 

"It's too risky here!" You basically pleaded, arms wrapping around his shoulders, caressing the back of his neck. Nodding and surrending, he pecked your lips hard one last time before pulling away.

Wonwoo understood. Despite being open about your relationship among your friends and colleagues, your number one goal was to avoid any rumour or scandal especially that you were not within your private space where you can do anything you want.

"I'll go first. You need to fix your lipstick." He teased, opening the door of the cubicle for you.

"Yeah, thanks for that."

You rolled you eyes and watched him check the corridor to ensure the coast was clear before leaving you in the ladies room and returning to the banquet.

Releasing the pent-up breath you had been holding, you fanned yourself and looked at your flushed face and messed-up makeup from the mirror.

You were unsure what your boyfriend consumed that day that made him ever brazen. 

Maybe it was the rose. 

After trying your best to retouch post the encounter in the bathroom, you joined the group, sitting beside your boyfriend who was already yawning. One by one the people were already dispersing so Wonwoo took that opportunity to say goodbye, and you also did. You greeted and hugged everyone, including Jimin, who held you a little tighter as if trying to provoke Wonwoo even more with his playful antics. You knew it was nothing but you pulled away and shook your head at him. 

"Let's go, Y/N." Wonwoo held out his hand and twined it with yours, and, despite the stern expression of his face, gave Jimin a courteous nod.

One of their managers and a security personnel were assigned to drive you back to the hotel where they were staying, and you were really impressed by the level of security and privacy hotels like that offered. 

"We need to book another room, I share with Mingyu." Wonwoo spoke when you settled inside the car. 

You smirked at him, waved your spare keycard, and gave it to him. "Done."

You somehow expected this even before the show, so you also paid for a room reservation online a day before your arrival, and checked in a few things there before going to your other hotel. You checked out of the hotel you stayed in and transferred some of your belongings to your room in their hotel before heading to the party that night. 

Smirking in delight, he took the keycard and leaned in, his lips brushing against your ear, "That's my good girl."

-

You entered the hotel separately with him guided to his room by his manager and you going straight into yours. You gave him the spare keycard anyway in case he decides to visit you, which you were looking forward to, if you were being completely honest. 

When you entered your room, you quickly went to the bathroom to run the hot water for a much needed shower after that long day of work. 

You turned the shower on and adjusted the setting, running your hands under the cascading water to check the temperature. Almost immediately, your whole body ached to feel the soothing warm water and you even hummed in excitement. 

Turning to undress, you jumped upon seeing your boyfriend by the door of the bathroom, eyes dark and wanting as he watched you. 

"What the hell, Wonwoo! You'd give me a heart attack!" You exclaimed, clutching your chest while he only grinned at you. 

Mischief and danger hid behind that smile he gave as he locked the bathroom door and stood behind you, meeting your gaze in the slightly fogged up mirror. 

"Let me help you with that," He mumbled under his breath as lips hovered against your skin when he took the clasp of the necklace you were removing form your hand. 

All the while, he was staring intently at you, his usual warm almond eyes were sharp and a lopsided smirk tugged against the corner of his lips. He was teasing you, playing with fire and fuelling yours. 

He reached behind you and placed the necklace on the countertop, bracing himself against the cold marble and caging you in between his arms. 

Then, he crashed his lips against yours, roughly, like he never did before.

Your knees were weak and as if under a spell, you were in complete surrender, wrapping your arms around him when he tilted your head by your chin and plundered your mouth with his tongue, deepening the kiss and making you want more. 

Whimpers left your lips when he sucked your lower lip then pulled away with a loud smacking sound. 

"Take your clothes off for me, baby." He ordered, stepping back and watching you. "Go on, don't make me wait.

Those words coming from such perfect face and deep voice, were hypnotizing enough, making you obey without a word. Still looking at his eyes, you fiddled the hem of your dress and peeled it off, leaving you in your matching light blue undergarments. 

"Seems like you've been waiting for me all day, too, love." He growled at the sight of you in his favourite colour, seizing you against his body before and tracing kisses down to the valleys of your breasts and then towards your lips once again. 

"Now be a good girl and undress me." He mumbled against your lips, not letting you go as you unbuttoned his shirt and pushed it off his body. Then, you worked on his belt, button, and zipper, letting his pants pool into his feet which he quickly kicked away.

He shoved you inside the glass partition under the shower head with your body glued together, his lips finding purchase against your skin, making your core throb with a familiar ache. 

Wonwoo pinned you against the cold, tiled wall and snaked his hand inside your panties, feeling your wet, warm core as his middle and ring fingers circled your sensitive nub. He was eager. As if wanting to prove something with his sudden brute force.

"My needy girl... so wet and I haven't even done anything..." 

"W-wonwoo -" You stuttered, gripping against his biceps trying to steady yourself from his sudden teasing.

"Who are you this wet for, Y/N?"

You whimpered when he paused, making your knees buckle and thigh press together. 

"Baby please..." 

"So needy..." He growled, using his other hand to dip and pull a cup of your bra, and then sucked your taut, aching nipple. 

"S-shit!"

"Mmm."

You quivered, eyes closed as you tried keeping your pleasure at bay, which was impossible when his fingers started teasing your slit with gentle strokes towards your clit.

"Look at me in the eyes and tell me who this is for..." 

You met his lustful gaze and gulped, "Y-you." 

"Say it... say who makes you shiver with need." He licked his lower lip as he pressed his fingers against your pulsating clit. He was enjoying his power play, you could see the way his eyes darkened as you shivered from his relentless teasing.

"Wonwoo... you Wonwoo... Please."

"Yeah... I am the only one that can make you this wet and needy, right?"

"Yes, just you..." You nodded eagerly, closing your eyes and crying out as he went down on his knees, ripped your panties, and finally devoured your aching, dripping core as water cascaded against your bodies. 

"My good girl... don't hold back, baby, let me hear you." 

He did not need to tell you. Moans and whimpers left your lips at his expert teasing, sucking and licking your sensitive bud. His tongue lapped at your core, tracing your entrance repeatedly and then drawing figure-eights against your clit while pushing his fingers inside you, curling and searching for that erogenous zone that always made you squirm in pleasure.

His moans were muffled against your sex when your climax coursed through your body quicker than you anticipated, making you nearly lose your balance as you cried out his name.

"Fucking hell..." You slurred, catching your breath and steadying yourself from the sudden outburst of pleasure. 

Wonwoo looked pleased - he had his proud smile when he rose and kissed you, squeezing your ass and pressing your close to him. 

"We're not done yet." He said with such ease before ever so casually reaching for the shampoo bottle and started washing your bodies as you came down from your high. 

Wonwoo lathered your shower gel against your body in the most sensual, teasing way possible. His hand glided through your skin, massaged your breasts and tweaked your nipples, and caressed down to your stomach, your core, and your aching limbs. Every second was intentional seduction, keeping you on the verge with desire.

He allowed you to do the same, palming his whole body down to his hard shaft, pumping him up and down with your soapy hand which made him twitch against your touch until he could take it no longer. He rinsed your bodies with such urgency and once done, pushed your naked body towards the room and the bed. 

"Sit." He commanded. Droplets of water trickled against your skin from your still soaked hair as he stood before you and as you pat your body with a towel, then squeezed water from your hair. 

He took the towel from you and threw it away, then grabbed your hair to force your head upwards when he leaned in to ravage your mouth with ardent kisses.

Need once again simmered inside you and you reached out for him, wanting to feel him closer and relieve whatever ache he was causing. He drew away and stood in between your legs, his shaft standing long and hard in front of you. 

"See what you do to me, Y/N?" He asked, holding the back of your head as you looked up at him and nodded. Your mouth watered at the sight of his beautiful, perfect cock all erect for you. Your core throbbed, needing him so bad.

"Let me see what your pretty little mouth can do."

You normally know what to say but seeing his dominant side made you tongue-tied. While there were rough encounters since your first time, Wonwoo rarely talked in such a manner. He was always a man of few words but eager actions, even in bed. He rarely even cursed but he seemed to do whenever you were in the throes of passion. This time showed a side of him you were already becoming drawn to, evident with the way you seem to surrender under his control so easily.

Eyes peering at him, you licked his polished length from base to tip, running your tongue around the bulbous head of his sizable cock. You slowly took him deep inside your warm mouth, eliciting a loud groan from him.

"Fuck, that's my good girl..." He moaned, looking down at you and pushing your head further down his length so you can take him deeper. "More baby... let me fuck that pretty mouth of yours..."

Carnal desire awakened inside him when he saw you like that, both hands gripping the base and massaging his sacs, as he hit your throat while you bob your head up and down his needy cock. Your eyes watered as you gagged, but it only seemed to further entice him. He tightened his grip on your hair as he increased the pace, your eyes still focused on him as you heed his commands. 

"You look so good taking me like that, letting me fuck your mouth... ah such good girl." He panted for air, hips thrusting one last time before pulling away. Watching you wipe your mouth, he beckoned you to stand and kissed you before turning you around to face the bed.

"On your hands and knees for me, baby." He mumbled, lips brushing against your ear as he shoved you flat in your tummy back into the bed.

In a blink, you were on all fours in the middle of the bed, heart racing and eagerly ancipating his next move, until a loud, hard spank landed on your ass sending you reeling forward from the impact.

"WON - ah!" 

You yelped at the tingling sensation, both pain and pleasure present at the unexpected action, making you bury your face against the cloudlike pillows. Your mind was still processing the flicker of pain and pleasure, when the bed dipped and you felt fevered kisses against your shoulders, tracing down to your spine, and towards your still numb and tingling rear. 

Wonwoo kept complete focus on you and your pleasure as he parted your knees and his tongue swirled and danced around your clit, feeling you move against him as he continued to bury his face between your thighs and grip your rear. A few more teasing motions with his tongue against your pleasure spots, he dove his tongue between your folds, exploring the depth of your core as your essence ran down his mouth like an addicting nectar. His forcefulness built as he pulled you closer towards his mouth, earning whimpers of his name to escape your lips, muffled by the soft sheets you were biting into.

"I want everyone to know you're mine." He stated again as he continued to taste you against his tongue, fingers stimulating your core until you were trembling once more.

The pleasure and his eagerness were slowly driving you over the edge, getting closer and closer to that glorious climax... until he pulled away.

"Wonwoo fuck!" Intense ache throbbed inside you at the unfulfilled bliss that was still at bay when he hauled you once again, yanking your weak body until you were on your back. 

Wonwoo grinned down at you, running his hand over your body, tweaking your nipples while the other thumbed your engorged bundle of nerves.

"Won- hurts... mm... need to..." You arched your body against his touch as needs boiled inside you, aching for that high only he can provide.

He watched you so weak for pleasure under him, but he wanted so much more. He lifted one of your legs and placed dove-like kisses on your shin and down to the inside of your thighs. You jolted.

"Please... baby..." 

"What do you want?" His lips hovered on your navel as he looked up at you. "You have to tell me..."

You swallowed the tears pooling in your throat, trying to hold out as much as you can, "I want... need you to... make me cum... please..."

He smirked. "That's my good girl." 

Wonwoo dove to your core once more, fingers slipping inside your soaked cave and began to massage your sweet spots as his tongue continued to flick in quick motions against your clit. He would only be satisfied until he felt you shaking and making a mess of the silk linens that adorned the bed. His eyes looked up at you overcome with pleasure, a view that he would never tire of. 

"Oh, baby... please mm.. so close..."

Your sounds of encouragement was music to his ears as you wriggled at his actions, feeling your core seeping with excitement over his fingers and dripping down his knuckles as he kept his consistent pace. Your legs delicately wrapping around his broad shoulders built anticipation as he craved to watch you explode in pleasure once more. 

"Give it to me, baby." He growled, stroking that velvety spot inside your walls eagerly.

"W-WONWOO —" 

You wailed and convulsed as a ferocious orgasm rocked through your body, the extent of your bliss filling you from head to toe. 

"Holy... fuck!"

My good girl... you came so hard..."

Wonwoo filled your face with kisses as you came down from your high, hovering over you in between your thighs and wrapping them around his hips. He shifted the both of you to your side facing each other, with his arm supporting your head safely. He eliminated the space between your bodies and kept your legs around him, gripping your rear as he kissed you fervently. 

"You're mine." He declared, staring intently at you and caressing your face. While his eyes were still dark with lust, you saw a twinkle of affection and unadulterated emotions behind them that made your stomach flutter.

"Say it baby... that you are mine and no one else's."

"I am yours, Jeon Wonwoo. Only yours."

He smiled at the certainty in your voice. There was never a doubt about it, but Wonwoo always loved hearing you say it and you always loved reminding him. Unable to wait any longer, he kissed you, lined himself in your heated entrance, and sank in deep.

And raw. 

For the first time ever. 

You nearly lost your mind. 

You never thought making love with Wonwoo could be any more indescribable, but here you were, feeling every ridge and friction of his perfect manhood as he stretched and filled you raw over and over again.

"Fuck so tight... my sweet pussy... mine..." He crooned in his euphoric state, eyes closed as he gripped your rear and bucked, pushing himself impossibly deep inside your hot core. "You're mine, Y/N...just mine... Jimin can never have you... no one else can... mine..."

You drew away slightly to watch him, pondering on his words until you realized it. There was jealousy in the mix. While it has been a while since your last intimate encounter leading to pent up needs, his possessive side was also on an all-time high that day, hence, the dominance and the power play. It sent electric shock to your core watching him take you and hold you possessively - his eyes closed, brows knitted, and lips agape. He looked so good it should be illegal.

"I am yours, just yours Wonwoo." You whispered and kissed him lovingly, pouring out your emotions in that exchange. His pace increased as the slapping of your skin, the squelching of his cock, and the sounds of your groans and whimpers created music against the night. 

You were in sync - mind, body, heart, and soul.

"I will fill you up so good, baby." 

"Ugh yes - please... fuck me..."

Wonwoo savoured the feeling of your hot, velvety walls clamping around him without barriers as he hammered into you. His fingers buried against the soft flesh of your rear, squeezing you hard as he guided you to meet his every thrust.

"You want it, baby? You me to fuck you... full?" 

His words were broken up between lowly moans against your lips as he pressed his forehead against yours, his hips slowing down and sensually rolling so he could feel every inch that he filled inside of you. His thrusts became slightly rougher as he pounded himself inside of you deeply, as if carving every inch of your walls as his. "Will fuck you so good baby... fill you up..."

Your body arched, revelling at the feeling of his huge length inside you, earning a loud moan as he took you wholly. He watched you lean back and as you did so one of his hands gripped your breasts, pinching and pulling on your erect buds while he wrapped his lips around the other, suckling and wanting to satisfy and please you as he picked up the pace. 

"Wonwoo... I'm... ugh—" He landed another harsh smack against your ass sending a zing of pleasure straight to your core. 

"Go on, baby. Be a good girl and make a mess for me." He hushed as he trailed open mouthed kisses against your neck and jawline and then your lips, tongue delving inside your mouth. 

Wonwoo jerked his hips, pulled away completely and then breached your walls again. Hard. He flicked your clit with his fingers and orgasm blasted through you, scorching every single cell of your body.

You moaned his name, again and again, clinging onto him as his flesh continued ramming inside you while your walls molded around him tighter and tighter with your release.

"One more, baby. I want more." Wonwoo stiffled against your skin, as he bit and nibbled the sweet spots on your neck and collarbone. The feeling of your walls around him skin to skin, was like a drug to him, or a craving that he never knew he had all along making him greedy for more. 

"Fuck... c-can't baby." You whimpered, high and overstimulated as he captured your lips in a passionate kiss. 

"Yes you can. For me... yeah? Come for me once more... you can do it, baby."

Wonwoo purred, pushing you on your back, your hips propped up on a pillow as he knelt caged between your thighs and impaled you once more with a hard, determined thrust. Your drenched core coated his cock, making it even easier for him to glide in and out of you, no matter how tight you were. The in-drawing sensation of your pussy was driving him insane. 

Sheen layer of sweat coated your bodies as you both panted and trembled, your legs wrapped around him and your nails raked against his back while he slammed his hips vigorously, urging both of your release.

"Fuck... my good girl... mm... gonna fill you up..."

"Won- "

"Mine..." He cupped your face and tilted your head so you can look at him in the eyes as he pummeled into you. "I love you... so much."

"Yours, yours... I love you so... much..." You whispered in between puffs of air, tears rolling against your cheek as he snapped his hips faster and rougher, making you cry louder. "Want your -"

"Yes, yes, baby... my good girl. You want me to cum?" He asked, nuzzling and groaning against your neck as you squeezed him in, a foretaste of your impending orgasm. "Tell me.. tell me you want me to cum..."

"I want...you...to cum for me..." You mewled. 

"Yes, yes, yes!"

Wonwoo kept his pace until his hips stuttered and his cock swelled deep inside you, painting your walls with his thick, hot cum, wailing your name as his body collapsed with the mind-numbing pleasure. Your walls pulsated around him, clamping him in and milking every last drop of his release as you let him bask in his orgasm. "Yes, baby. Take it... Take my cum..." Wonwoo grunted drunkenly, feeling you so close to your release and when he buried his cock deeper with his remaining strength, you finally erupted with a loud wonton cry of ecstacy, toes curling and body shuddering under his weight.

"Wonwoo! Fuck yes! Fuck baby—" You weren't sure how it was possible, but your climax was even longer this time, all-consuming and earth-shattering and Wonwoo felt it rocking through him as you spasmed around him. 

"That's it, baby...that's it..." He stiffled against your skin, fingers working on your clit as you surfed the wave of your climax, until you both came down from your glorious high, fully spent and satiated.

Wonwoo kissed you gently as he pulled away, cradling you in his arms softly, protectively when you whined at the empty feeling. "I love you so much... so good to me... let me take care of you, baby.." You could only hum and smile against the kiss. 

You weren't sure what was happening few moments later - you were sore, overstimulated, and nearly unconscious. You reckoned you could feel him inside you for days. The next thing you knew, Wonwoo was parting your thighs, wiping your core gently with a warm, damp towel as he let you rest and catch your breath.

"We n-need shower... messy..." You mumbled, and he just chuckled at your state. 

"Can you even walk, baby?" 

"Hmm, I can. I just need some time."

He crawled towards the bed by your side and cradled your head under his arms and that was when you got to admire how utterly flawless he looked — skin glowing, tips of his nose and ears pink, lips plump and red, blue hair all messed up, and his neck and chest sweat-clad. 

"I love you and your jealous ass." You declared, flicking his nose gently. "You know that, right?" 

"I do. I love you." He nodded and cupped your face to peck your lips. "Sorry, love. Was I too rough?"

You hummed, looping an arm around him, "Hhmm. It's all good. I kinda liked it."

Wonwoo smirked at you, pleased with himself, and drew you closer, snuggling and savouring the post-coital bliss. 

Before the night ended, you found yourselves back in the shower, making yet another mess and screaming each other's name. 

BONUS:

It was a random decision on your end. You really weren't supposed to be in the studio as you were on a break which was long overdue, but you were bored and you hadn't seen Wonwoo for about a week. So, you decided to whip up some surprise and buy snacks to surprise the members and the team during the filming of SeungKwan Boo's Past Life Destiny for Going Seventeen 2020. 

The team were gathered in a circle when you entered discreetly, all of them still huddled and finding their partners. Hiding with the staff members behind the camera, you saw your boyfriend being rejected several times, with the members teasing him that he doesn't need a partner because he has you anyway. Wonwoo looked extra cuddly that day with his white turtle neck shirt and knitted navy sweaters. He seemingly had high energy, too, like one of the junior producers told you. You loved seeing him like that, playful and excited. 

However, you started sensing Wonwoo's slight unease and discomfort after few more failed rounds, and even the head PD that daysaw it, too. So, when he was finally on the chair as the last member to match, the PD requested you to surprise him to lift his mood back up. It was never something you would do during filming, but you felt it was needed that day.

You emerged from behind the cameras and quietly approached him, earning excited reactions from the team. 

"No peeking yet, hyung!" Seungkwan exclaimed, with such contagious excitement, standing next to Wonwoo and ensuring he wouldn't turn around just yet.

"Waaah, nice Wonwoo-hyung!" The members cheered and hooted, making Wonwoo even more curious as to who actually came to be his partner.

"Why? Do I have many admirers?" Your boyfriend joked, then turned around, gasping in surprise and delight when saw you beaming and reaching out your hand to him. 

"Waaaah!! When did you get here?!" Wonwoo marvelled, nearly falling off the chair while taking your hand and engulfing you in a hug as everyone cheered. You just chuckled and rubbed his back. He held you tight and breathed you in, immediately soothing whatever discomfort he was feeling. 

"I bought you guys food." You smiled at him and pushed him back on the chair to resume the filming. He smiled brightly at you, blood rushing to his cheeks as he nodded and finally let you go. 

Knowing you were there and right on time as always, his battery became fully-charged once again. 

You are there for him, in his brightest days or darkest nights.

And he loves you, in his brightest and darkest moments, too.

[mariacallous]

One of the things enterprise storage and destruction company Iron Mountain does is handle the archiving of the media industry's vaults. What it has been seeing lately should be a wake-up call: Roughly one-fifth of the hard disk drives dating to the 1990s it was sent are entirely unreadable.

Music industry publication Mix spoke with the people in charge of backing up the entertainment industry. The resulting tale is part explainer on how music is so complicated to archive now, part warning about everyone's data stored on spinning disks.

"In our line of work, if we discover an inherent problem with a format, it makes sense to let everybody know," Robert Koszela, global director for studio growth and strategic initiatives at Iron Mountain, told Mix. "It may sound like a sales pitch, but it's not; it's a call for action."

Hard drives gained popularity over spooled magnetic tape as digital audio workstations, mixing and editing software, and the perceived downsides of tape, including deterioration from substrate separation and fire. But hard drives present their own archival problems. Standard hard drives were also not designed for long-term archival use. You can almost never decouple the magnetic disks from the reading hardware inside, so if either fails, the whole drive dies.

There are also general computer storage issues, including the separation of samples and finished tracks, or proprietary file formats requiring archival versions of software. Still, Iron Mountain tells Mix that “if the disk platters spin and aren’t damaged," it can access the content.

But "if it spins" is becoming a big question mark. Musicians and studios now digging into their archives to remaster tracks often find that drives, even when stored at industry-standard temperature and humidity, have failed in some way, with no partial recovery option available.

“It’s so sad to see a project come into the studio, a hard drive in a brand-new case with the wrapper and the tags from wherever they bought it still in there,” Koszela says. “Next to it is a case with the safety drive in it. Everything’s in order. And both of them are bricks.”

Entropy Wins

Mix's passing along of Iron Mountain's warning hit Hacker News earlier this week, which spurred other tales of faith in the wrong formats. The gist of it: You cannot trust any medium, so you copy important things over and over, into fresh storage. "Optical media rots, magnetic media rots and loses magnetic charge, bearings seize, flash storage loses charge, etc.," writes user abracadaniel. "Entropy wins, sometimes much faster than you’d expect."

There is discussion of how SSDs are not archival at all; how floppy disk quality varied greatly between the 1980s, 1990s, and 2000s; how Linear Tape-Open, a format specifically designed for long-term tape storage, loses compatibility over successive generations; how the binder sleeves we put our CD-Rs and DVD-Rs in have allowed them to bend too much and stop being readable.

Knowing that hard drives will eventually fail is nothing new. Ars wrote about the five stages of hard drive death, including denial, back in 2005. Last year, backup company Backblaze shared failure data on specific drives, showing that drives that fail tend to fail within three years, that no drive was totally exempt, and that time does, generally, wear down all drives. Google's server drive data showed in 2007 that HDD failure was mostly unpredictable, and that temperatures were not really the deciding factor.

So Iron Mountain's admonition to music companies is yet another warning about something we've already heard. But it's always good to get some new data about just how fragile a good archive really is.

[goofyjelly]

IM SORRY IF THIS HAS ALREADY BEEN TALKED ABOUT BUT IM SO NORMAL!!

Season 2 Episode 1 (timestamp 5:46)

Yes I transcribed the ENTIRE THING (Im putting it under the cut because i don't want to accidentally give anyone spoilers, i hope saying the word Newspaper isn't any sort of spoilers since thats already really vague).

Early Tuesday evening, around [?:??]PM police were called to the Baird Creek Townhouses to the [?????????] of [REDACTED]… returned home after work at approximately 5:35 PM. He noticed that the apartment didn’t seem disheveled, but the sink in the kitchen was running hot water. [REDACTED]… was suspicious that a break-in may have occurred. “I went to check my valuables immediately. Upon examining my attic I noticed that my grandfather’s ...[COVERED by Mark’s thumb]… wasn’t in the box. Upon [COVERED]… I began to scour [REDACTED]… thief also managed to [REDACTED]… tapes he recorded [REDACTED]

During the police investigation of the apartment, detectives noticed that this break in matches the profile of the Baird Creek Bandit. The Baird Creek Bandit has been breaking and entering during work hours [REDACTED]… fifth burglary this [COVERED]… Bandit is meticulous [COVERED]… leave nothing [COVERED]… hair, or [CUT OFF]

KIER, PE— Less than a week has passed since four Lumon workers brought the notion of Severance reform to the world’s attention, and already the world has come out to say “Thank you.”

A celebration was held Saturday [REDACTED]… Mark S, Helly R, Irving B, and Dylan G, the [four(?)] famous “Innies” [REDACTED]. All four [CUT OFF BY PAGE FOLD].

All four gave speeches, praising the “courageous” acts of their Innies and thanking Lumon for its accommodations. [REDACTED].

[COVERED]… Mr Milchick [CUT OFF BY PAGE FOLD].

...course, the Board was eager to listen. Other entertainers to perform were [REDACTED]. A benediction was delivered by Dr. Ricken Hale, author of such hits as "The You You Are" and "These Values Nine: How I Let Kier In." 

In the wake of last week's revelation, Lumon has begun implementing global reforms to ensure the happiness and safety of their Innies. [REDACTED] ...top of the line recreational facilities, sexual liberation, improved snacks, and the possibility for field [CUT OFF BY PAGE FOLD]

[REDACTED] a scientific miracle made at Lumon Industries. [REDACTED] his research to changing the way we recycle plastic waste. [REDACTED] repurpose plastic, and in a divine moment last week, science found a way to fix our plastic pileup. [REDACTED].

If this legislation were [COVERED]… Lumon’s plastic [COVERED] sector would be left d[COVERED] [REDACTED] heard the solution Lumon [COVERED] [REDACTED] [COVERED]… new technology elevates [COVERED]… gone are the days of turning [a] plastic bottle into another plastic bottle, [REDACTED] we now have the capability to change the composition of the plastic molecules.

[REDACTED]. During this process, the polyethylene (C2H4), more commonly known as plastic, [REDACTED]. This ‘freezer’ cools the plastic to [?? maybe it says -35 ????] Celsius, at this temperature [REDACTED]. Unlike a combustion reaction this innovation safely separates the elements without releasing any hazardous gases [REDACTED].

Lumon plans to use the [CUT OFF BY PAGE FOLD]

END OF NEWSPAPER

[bananaofswifts]

01 - Taylor Swift

No one in the music industry wielded more power over the past year than Taylor Swift, who made history at stadiums, movie theaters and on the Billboard charts, leaving even the most seasoned executives speechless. While they’d long celebrated her staggering popularity as a singer, songwriter and performer, her force as a strategic business leader suddenly came into sharper focus — and industry veterans took notes as they watched some of her bravest and most innovative business risks reap remarkable rewards.

At 34, she is one of the music industry’s most charismatic and influential leaders — and she rewrites the rules.

“The piece of advice I would give to the other executives on this list is that the best ideas are usually ones without industry precedent,” Swift tells Billboard. “The biggest crossroads moments of my career came down to sticking to my instincts when my ideas were looked at with skepticism. When someone says to me, ‘But that has never been done successfully before,’ it fires me up. We have to take strategic risks every day in this industry, but every once in a while, you have to really trust your gut and take a flying leap. My rerecordings are my favorite example of this, and I’m extremely grateful to my team and fans for taking that leap with me because it absolutely changed my life.”

Sage advice for an industry in which instinct has largely been supplanted by metrics and data analysis.

In December, Time named Swift its 2023 Person of the Year. In September, after encouraging her 279 million Instagram followers to vote and linking to vote.org, the nonpartisan nonprofit said it received over 35,000 registrations. She appears on the cover of this issue of Billboard and in the No. 1 spot of our annual Power 100 issue because her force across the business of music is now unparalleled — and because she models commitment to innovation that the rest of the business will need in order to tackle the big challenges ahead.

Swift’s gambles have paid off handsomely over the past year.

Her massive The Eras stadium tour, which began in March after she controversially put all the tickets on sale at once, crashing Ticketmaster and sparking mass hysteria, grossed an estimated $906.1 million in 2023 and is poised to become the highest-grossing global tour of all time before it wraps in December, according to Billboard.

The Golden Globe-nominated Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour film, taped during her six-show run at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif., in August, has grossed over $261.6 million worldwide since its October opening, according to AMC Theatres Entertainment. In January, the publicly traded movie-house chain announced that the film’s box-office take made it the highest-grossing concert/documentary picture ever released, surpassing Michael Jackson’s 2009 This Is It. Once again blazing a new path, Swift made a groundbreaking distribution deal directly with AMC Theaters instead of linking with a film studio.

Swift has shaken up the catalog market, too. When Scooter Braun infuriated her by acquiring the master recordings of her first six albums through his Ithaca Holdings and then sold them to investment firm Shamrock Capital at a profit, Swift rerecorded the albums with loving precision and added bonus tracks to the new releases. They performed phenomenally well, as she deftly used her tour to promote them. When her latest rerecording (and 14th studio album overall), 1989 (Taylor’s Version), spent its fifth week at atop the Billboard 200 at the end of 2023, Swift beat Elvis Presley’s record for the most weeks at No. 1 by a solo artist. Her industry market share last year was 1.72%. If she were her own genre, she’d rank ninth for 2023 — bigger than jazz.

“She’s the smartest artist I’ve ever worked with,” says Messina Touring Group’s Louis Messina, who promotes Swift’s tours and has worked with her since 2005. “She outworks everybody and she has always had this vision. If you’re around her, you can’t help but believe in her.” —Melinda Newman

[sramfact]

Industrial tapes are specialized adhesive products used in manufacturing and construction to bond, seal, insulate, and protect materials. They come in various types, including duct, masking, electrical, and double-sided tapes, each designed for specific applications. These tapes offer high durability, strong adhesion, and resistance to environmental factors like heat, moisture, and chemicals, making them essential in numerous industrial processes.

The global “Industrial Tapes Market by Product Type (Aluminum Tapes, Others), End User (Manufacturing, Others), Application (Packaging, Others), Tape Backing Material (Polypropylene, Paper), Mode of Application (Pressure Sensitive, Solvent Based) - Forecast”, defines and segments the industrial tapes market with analysis and forecast of the global market size for industrial tapes till 2020. It also identifies the driving and restraining factors of the market with analysis of trends and opportunities.

[fareydonch]

Let's review the law for Indonesia's major plan to build its local gaming industry (Perpres No. 19/2024)! & my thoughts

For those of you who aren't in the news, the Indonesian government has issued a presidential regulation (peraturan presiden, or perpres for short) earlier this year where they will invest and nurture its local gaming industry. The law, called Presidential Regulation No. 19 2024 on Accelerating the Development of the National Gaming Industry - or Perpres No. 19/2024 for short - was issued on February 12th this year and went into effect that same day, is the Indonesian government's first major attempt to nurture and support its local gaming industry. Among which, the government states that it will fund game projects as minimum as US$40 million, hopes to make 100 prototypes annually, with the achieved goal of having Indonesian-made games taking up 70% of the domestic gaming market, and 10% of the global gaming market.

But you might be wondering, what would the law itself specifically states? Well, I have the copy of the actual law on my hand, so we can take a look at it together! Because idk why I'm bored and I got nothing else better to do.

So, the first thing to note here is that in order to achieve their video gaming industry nirvana, the Indonesian government has set up a team to assist the execution of the law itself. It will be headed by Coordinating Ministry for Maritime & Investment Affairs and conducted in conjunction between the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy and of course, our behated bastard child, the Ministry of Communication and Informatics, or known popularly as Kominfo. Yup, the guys who banned Steam and PayPal due to MR5 and blocked all of your porn? That's them.

Funding for this program will be carried out from Indonesian state budget (APBN), local government budgets (APBD), and any other legal funding necessary to help the project. Whether or not game developers will receive the full amount of funding from the Indonesian government as it makes its way from the top to bottom is yet to be seen.

And that is it so far, where the formalities end. The attachment part that comes up next is the most interesting part, as that is where they put a long 14-page essay justifying the need for this regulation, and the steps they're undertaking to achieve the Indonesian government's ideal goal and vision for its local game industry. And it boils down to the largest big talking point mentioned below here:

This passage outlines the goals, in which that the Indonesian-games will get at least 70 whole percents of the local gaming market and 10 percent of the international gaming market. This is a number that is too optimistic in general, especially for the Indonesian government. There's also the aspect of "seeding the values of the Pancasila and national cultural values," which I'll address later on. But without knowing what kind of games the general market domestically and internationally wants, getting that number from scratch is outright unrealistic. Besides, how many games are they going to make to meet that 70%-10% goal?

Which leads us to the next point: they will do this by making 100 video game prototypes annually, promote 100 of them nationally, and promote 30 of them globally.

I feel like this is more of a quantity over quality kind of scenario. Expecting all 100 video games to be prototyped, and then rolled out to public release nationally and internationally under what I assume is a tight bureaucratic government scheme annually, in a country known where red taping is as common as everyday life is going to be very difficult. I wouldn't be surprised if the end goal turns out to be something like 20 games nationally, where 5 of them are promoted internationally. After all, it took A Space for the Unbound seven years from first concept in 2015 to public release, and then another to be nominated at last year's The Game Awards. If the Indonesian government expects to have ASFTU-level kind of game multiplied by 100 to be done within a year, then it needs to heavily readjust its expectations.

But at least there is one thing for sure, the Indonesian Education Ministry (Kemdikbud) will be working together with the Indonesian Games Association (AGI) to develop a national curriculum intended in bringing game dev course studies for vocational school and university students. It's at least nice to see that a standardized video game designing and development will reach a wider academic outreach domestically. Wouldn't be surprised if Indonesian game dev schools start playing Sakurai Masahiro's YouTube videos during class.

Now here comes to the financing and platforming stuff of the law: it states that the Indonesian government will construct an investment scheme through the Indonesia Game Fund through matching funds and venture capitals, in which they are expecting to raise around Rp600 billion or US$40 million annually to fund their game program.

As mentioned earlier, not only these games will be funded through annual state budgets and local government budgets, but third-party ways of funding are also allowed as long as it fits within their legal project. I would assume Indonesian state-owned enterprises would start doing some outreach to big capital investment banks and triple A game companies to fund the project. The extent of how realistic they will reach that 40-million-dollar goal is yet to be seen.

But here's another big, major smoking gun. The Indonesian government is also expecting to formulate a regulation that forces platforms to accept any third-party payments a game would prefer to use. This is a big deal, and it came at a time where Jakarta followed the EU's footsteps and sued Google for monopolistic practices on their payment system in 2022, with preliminary hearings beginning June this year. It was Indonesia's first major attempt to crack down on big tech.

Not only this will have ramifications for the Indonesian video gaming industry, but also the local tech industry at large. Such regulations may potentially cause even Apple to have the Indonesian government knocking on their doors for the same monopolistic behavior over their payment system. Although, I would imagine they would also have to play realpolitik on a case-by-case basis, considering Indonesia has also been wooing Apple for more investments, as well as trying to get them to build a manufacturing plant to make iPhones in the country.

Not to mention, the Indonesian government has been super lenient on local manufacturing schemes for Apple by letting iPhones for sale in the Indonesian market despite the phones themselves aren't manufactured locally, while companies like Samsung, BBK and Xiaomi manufactures are forced to manufacture their phones locally to meet such high standards. And starting an antitrust lawsuit with Apple is a good way to kill off any ambitions Jakarta has to make iPhones within its territory.

Another aspect that got me questioning hard however, is their intellectual property scheme. According to this law, around 25% of the IP rights to the games will be owned by the Indonesian government through a ministry or its state-owned enterprises, or a private company for marketing campaigns. Sure, IP rights and creative transfers like work-for-hire is a very common sight in the game industry, but I can't help but wonder why the Indonesian government would own 25% of your fancy fantasy JRPG game idea specifically, even if it's for marketing? It seems kinda suspicious.

Considering the AGI was involved in formulating the curriculum for game dev studies, and thus, being involved in formulating this regulation as a whole, part of me makes me wonder that 25% is the lowest amount the AGI and the Indonesian government agreed on. Even then, for marketing campaigns alone, giving off a quarter of the IP as a whole to the government seems a bit too much.

The Indonesian government is also planning to formulate a law (undang-undang) to require all foreign video game companies to open a local subsidiary within their borders. Otherwise, the Kominfo will be banning every access to their game services, and even prohibiting sales in Indonesia. I have covered about this issue before in my Nintendo in Southeast Asia history post, and the Indonesian gaming industry, including the AGI themselves have objected strongly against this notion. I assume the AGI couldn't get the Indonesian government to think twice about the ramifications of doing such move, as many local game developers are concerned about possible conflict of interest where big foreign gaming companies would absorb all Indonesian game dev human resources that could've been funneled into local game studios instead.

This also ties in with the future of the Indonesian Game Rating System (IGRS), with a directive to revise the Kominfo Ministerial Regulation No. 11/2016. Which they already did in the form of Kominfo Ministerial Regulation No.2/2024 and is the main reason why the IGRS website is currently down for the time being as they're reformulating how game rating is conducted.

I took a little glimpse over Kominfo's MR2/2024, and most of the articles and clauses remain pretty similar to the previous MR11/2016 regulation, except adding parts regarding game developers and publishers as "electronic system providers" and adding clauses that makes it sound it is mandatory for foreign game companies to open local subsidiaries in Indonesia and have their games properly rated by the IGRS or face repercussions.

And here comes the last interesting part of the law, tighter local domestic content manufacturing (TKDN) schemes on video games. This includes preloading local-made games bundled with gaming system hardwares that are also manufactured locally, under the supervision of the Ministry of Industry, or Kemenperin.

TKDN or local content manufacturing requirements has always been a controversial move conducted by Kemenperin. Despite its intentions to strengthen local tech production, Kemenperin is also known for giving free passes for companies like Apple to sell iPhones, despite not having a manufacturing facility within the country, pretty much undermining their protectionist scheme.

Opening a Foxconn manufacturing plant somewhere in Cikarang to manufacture Nintendo and Sony consoles is unlikely, so it's hard to see how this part of the plan will be executed. Tech companies in general sees Vietnam to be a more promising spot for manufacturing than Indonesia. The Vietnamese government ever since its Doi Moi economic revival program has been giving huge tax breaks, fast-tracked land permits to build factories, and many more to companies who are willing to invest in manufacturing within the country, something Indonesia is lacking heavily. Plus, Vietnam's advantage on sharing its proximity by land to China means the logistics and supply chains for the components needed for manufacturing and assembly would be considerably cheaper and cost-effective compared to shipping it across the South China Sea into Java, not to mention the huge tariffs Indonesian customs will charge on manufacturers.

This is the main reason why Apple chose Vietnam as it seeks to drop its reliance on Chinese manufacturing, while saying "we'll consider it" (which is another way of saying no) on manufacturing in Indonesia during Tim Cook's visit back in April. And since iPhones are made in Foxconn's factory, no Apple factories in Indonesia means no Foxconn factory that is also designed to make Nintendo Switches and PS5s made in Indonesia.

I don't think any companies, including hardware gaming companies, would want to manufacture their consoles in a country where the cost of doing business is way higher and takes longer and more expensive to import stuff for manufacturing.

I do hope that any local content manufacturing mandate they are planning doesn't end up being a huge burden to the customers and end up making video game consoles more expensive, or even outright not being sold due to said local content reasons.

MY THOUGHTS

And that's pretty much it. It is nice to see that the Indonesian government is putting their attention in its local video game industry. Investment and funding into local game studios and letting small indie game developers thrive is always a good thing. But I can't feel but help that the plans and policies taken really feels like Jakarta wants the gaming industry on a more protectionist, us vs. them approach.

The local content manufacturing requirements, the overtly optimistic 70 percent market share goals, the 25% IP transfers for the Indonesian government, the Pancasila and culutral values upholding requirements, everything about it seems like they want game developers to make games what the Indonesian government wants rather than what the consumers and game studios want to make.

The Pancasila and cultural value-upholding requirements in particular seems like a very open-ended excuse to heavily vet Indonesian-made games that doesn't meet the government's narrative, and I am quite concerned that they could have a huge editorial control over what games and concepts developers should make to please the big fat government overlords, such as banning progressive and sensitive topics and ideas in games, LGBTQ+ representation, and anything they deem to be "extremely violent" and "violating the common cultural norms." Which would be very something coming from bureaucrats where the only gaming thing they'd know is playing Zuma on work hours paid by its taxpayers. I hope they can understand and thoroughly examine on what Indonesian gamers, and to an extent, what the global audience want.

But not all of its policies are outright daydreaming or questionable. I welcome their attempts to crack down on big tech by making it mandatory for platforms to accept third-party payment systems, meaning Indonesian gamers could use local payment systems accepting rupiah via QR payment methods, which has been all the rage in the country. It is also nice to see that game dev courses are being planned for vocational school and university students, giving them curriculum-level of attention, it's a humble way to get people interested into game development 101.

Overall, the main points I would like to offer here are:

I wish the Indonesian government lets people make games what they want and what the audience wants, free from total editorial interference and suppression.

Fund game projects realistically and reduce any possible red taping as the funding moves from top to bottom. (Very doubtful, but it would suck to find out that a good game studio got unrightfully dragged into embezzlement/corruption scandals because of what happened on the top during the funding process.)

Make access to dev kits needed to make games easier, with customs and tax fees reduced or dropped entirely.

Setting targets more realistically and put quality over quantity.

Clarify more in-depth about the 25% intellectual property right transfer clause to government institutions.

Protectionist policies like local content manufacturing (TKDN) should not hamper gamers' choices on what gaming platforms and systems, as well as what kind of games they want due to it being inaccessible with higher tariffs imposed on a product. (It would suck if a game console became 50% more expensive due to more Kemenperin/Bea Cukai "economic safeguarding" shenanigans.)

The efforts that Jakarta is giving for its local game developers is very much welcomed. But just like any other political efforts Jakarta is bringing to the table; I think we all should be very cautious on following its development.

[bambi-kinos]

About Get Back/Let It Be.

Because I'm been wondering about the changed clipped and cuts from from the original. Both Estates and Paul and Ringo approved it. Do you think Paul and the rest are aware of it? And if they are, why is that? they should know by now that the fandom knows about the original clips. I don't mind the changed parts or that it made it look lighter because the way he said it, that it feels like it saved his life and that it showed his talent but he must be aware more than anyone that some parts of the fandom are saying that he is trying to re-write the history. Or maybe he really did see it they way it shown as more accurate. I mean he was there. What are you thoughts on this. I don't bring Ringo in this because I don't think he knows much + he seem to have left it behind him.

They're definitely aware of the cuts because Peter Jackson had to get approval from all four sides in order to get the documentary on D+. Apple Records is still the owner of the footage, the only thing Disney is doing afaik is licensing the footage and other Beatle products. This is to sell subscriptions to their failure of a streaming service. So I would imagine that 1) Paul and Ringo have watched all the remastered footage in full; Peter said he remastered all of it and 2) they got final say on what went into it, as well as Dhani/Olivia, and Sean Lennon as the executor of John's estate. (Yoko is no longer in the picture, the industry rumors online are saying that she is currently dying of dementia and that Sean has been fully in charge of the estate for a few years now.)

It's also important to think broadly about who the documentary is for. The number of people who are intimate with the Beatles, know the full story about their woes, the people who don't fall for Yoko's bullshit, and the people who have actually listened to the Nagra tapes, is a tiny tiny tiny TINY slice of Beatles fandom. I would even posit that this portion of the audience is only 5,000-10,000, maybe 15,000 people at best. That is a tiny slice of a global audience that numbers in the millions.

Paul and Ringo are completely safe and they know it. They know that their audience is made up of passive normies that believe everything they see without question. If you show a normie Beatle fan a picture of John and Paul gayzing at each other and tell them "these men are heterosexual" they will immediately go "of course they're heterosexual!" And they will not question it further. If you have them listen to a piece of the Nagra tapes, the normie would declare it "boring." These are the types of people who make up 95% of the Beatles global audience. Everyone on the estate side knows this very well which means they have carte blanche to do whatever they want, edit however they want, say whatever they want, and there will be zero (0) appetite to question them.

Just look at the wealth of interviews where Paul says insane shit and the journalist never ever questions him on it! It never occurs to them to question it or investigate further. This is not because they are dumb, it is simply because these people are normies. They passively accept everything they are told and there is no desire whatsoever to act any other way. They would be confused and distressed by anyone who wants to dig deeper.

Why Paul and Ringo and the estates called for certain cuts and edits is unknown and unknowable. We have no idea what they mandated, what they had Peter cut, or why. We also have no idea what Disney made Peter cut to put it on D+. Don't forget that the Beatles are not the only forces at work here. We don't know and will likely never know.

Re: your last sentence, I don't think Ringo has moved on at all. He loves the Beatles and is protective of them as a property. IMO it is more accurate to say that Ringo has grieved for the Beatles and that he let go of his survivor's guilt about the Beatles and John's murder as a part of his recovery from substance abuse. As part of that he finally integrated Beatle Ringo into Richard Starkey and now he can be fully comfortable in his skin as both. But he still loves the Beatles and still cherishes them deeply, he just doesn't get involved in the negative aspects because he's done his time with them. The cruelty, meanness and greed is what he's moved on from.

[iwanthermidnightz]

1) Taylor Swift

No one in the music industry wielded more power over the past year than Taylor Swift, who made history at stadiums, movie theaters and on the Billboard charts, leaving even the most seasoned executives speechless. While they’d long celebrated her staggering popularity as a singer, songwriter and performer, her force as a strategic business leader suddenly came into sharper focus — and industry veterans took notes as they watched some of her bravest and most innovative business risks reap remarkable rewards.

At 34, she is one of the music industry’s most charismatic and influential leaders — and she rewrites the rules.

“The piece of advice I would give to the other executives on this list is that the best ideas are usually ones without industry precedent,” Swift tells Billboard. “The biggest crossroads moments of my career came down to sticking to my instincts when my ideas were looked at with skepticism. When someone says to me, ‘But that has never been done successfully before,’ it fires me up. We have to take strategic risks every day in this industry, but every once in a while, you have to really trust your gut and take a flying leap. My rerecordings are my favorite example of this, and I’m extremely grateful to my team and fans for taking that leap with me because it absolutely changed my life.”

Sage advice for an industry in which instinct has largely been supplanted by metrics and data analysis.

In December, Time named Swift its 2023 Person of the Year. In September, after encouraging her 279 million Instagram followers to vote and linking to vote.org, the nonpartisan nonprofit said it received over 35,000 registrations. She appears on the cover of this issue of Billboard and in the No. 1 spot of our annual Power 100 issue because her force across the business of music is now unparalleled — and because she models commitment to innovation that the rest of the business will need in order to tackle the big challenges ahead.

Swift’s gambles have paid off handsomely over the past year.

Her massive The Eras stadium tour, which began in March after she controversially put all the tickets on sale at once, crashing Ticketmaster and sparking mass hysteria, grossed an estimated $906.1 million in 2023 and is poised to become the highest-grossing global tour of all time before it wraps in December, according to Billboard.

The Golden Globe-nominated Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour film, taped during her six-show run at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif., in August, has grossed over $261.6 million worldwide since its October opening, according to AMC Theatres Entertainment. In January, the publicly traded movie-house chain announced that the film’s box-office take made it the highest-grossing concert/documentary picture ever released, surpassing Michael Jackson’s 2009 This Is It. Once again blazing a new path, Swift made a groundbreaking distribution deal directly with AMC Theaters instead of linking with a film studio.

Swift has shaken up the catalog market, too. When Scooter Braun infuriated her by acquiring the master recordings of her first six albums through his Ithaca Holdings and then sold them to investment firm Shamrock Capital at a profit, Swift rerecorded the albums with loving precision and added bonus tracks to the new releases. They performed phenomenally well, as she deftly used her tour to promote them. When her latest rerecording (and 14th studio album overall), 1989 (Taylor’s Version), spent its fifth week at atop the Billboard 200 at the end of 2023, Swift beat Elvis Presley’s record for the most weeks at No. 1 by a solo artist. Her industry market share last year was 1.72%. If she were her own genre, she’d rank ninth for 2023 — bigger than jazz.

“She’s the smartest artist I’ve ever worked with,” says Messina Touring Group’s Louis Messina, who promotes Swift’s tours and has worked with her since 2005. “She outworks everybody and she has always had this vision. If you’re around her, you can’t help but believe in her.” —Melinda Newman

[joesalw]

Part 2 in the lawsuit saga: Scott Swift's unhinged e-mail to Dan Dymtrow (page 21) in the doc.

https://www.plainsite.org/dockets/download.html?id=8114495&z=26399dc2

He's giving 'I hate my wife' energy throughout the whole thing, complains about not going to events with Taylor that he payed for and having to babysit Austin (wtf? that's your son). And if you think about it, Taylor is almost definitely daddy's girl. They sound very alike. Add that onto the fact that she seems to constantly seek his (or any male's) validation. Kinda feel for the man too, he's been promoting her music since she was 11 and no one ever thanked him for it.

The narrative they're selling is a total opposite from the truth. She says that she's made it against all odds when in reality her parents hired her a guitar teacher to 'teach Taylor how to play country music', have been pushing her tapes since she was a pre-teen, hired Britney Spears' manager with a lot of connections in the industry, had a lawyer who's currently works as the Global Head of Artists for YouTube Music, moved states for her to pursue music. Nah, they were stage parents from the get go and the whole 'we named our daughter an androgynous name so it would be easier for her to work in finance' bullshit. It seems like she was treated more like a business project and not a child. They wanted her to become a star with any means necessary. Disgusting.

.

[play-now-my-lord]

i used to be a transcriptionist. i made decent money doing it - $1 per audio minute, which at an industry-average WPM works out to about $15 per hour, this in 2000s dollars. (mind you, my wpm is crazy, so i made more for my time.) i had ADHD that wasn't medicated at the time and would get ready for work by brewing up a huge pot of coffee, letting it go lukewarm, and chugging it in one go. i don't recommend this approach but it worked. it was also hellish on my wrists, my audio processing disorder, etc. after a working day i'd have a hell of a time understanding anything anyone said to me on the phone. i could pay rent with transcription in the 2000s, but rent was cheaper back then and transcription paid better. nowadays you're very lucky to see $.60 per audio minute without any formal qualifications (which are getting harder and harder to get), and the workflow has changed; everyone wants you to "edit" garbage machine translations and pay you with the fiction that you are "editing" them, where the reality is you have to do the exact same work but with an added layer of software wrangling for corporate compliance.

my great-aunt was a transcriptionist in the old days, when instead of VLC having a dial on it to adjust file speed she had to pay for a pedal that slowed down physical tapes. she paid for a mortgage with it, but that was in the 70s and 80s, when mortgages were cheaper (and rates were still at or near a dollar per audio minute, in less inflated dollars).

the existential threat everyone acknowledges to transcription is software, because everyone thinks software transcription is good. (it's not markedly more accurate than a well-trained 90s speech-to-text program, to be completely honest, and if you need a non-verbatim transcription - i.e. all the ums and ahs and doubling-back parts aren't left in - you're completely up shit creek.) the actual existential threat is outsourcing; the cost of living is simply lower in many areas of the anglophone world, people have less ability to take their ball and go home if offered insultingly low rates there. (this is not likely to remain the case forever, as average floor wages have increased by a factor of anywhere from 10 to 20 in anglophone south and southeast asia since 2000, and while they're very low by the standards of the global north, they're also on the order of a factor of 8 or so lower rather than a factor of 20 or 50.)

apparently the opportunities available to mostly housebound people with keyboard skills in america have declined such that the average such person, offered 60 cents a word to hammer out words for hours a day, can't reasonably take their ball and go home either. the competition used to be flipping burgers; now it's uber and grubhub, other gig work bullshit.

this is a long rambling story without much of a point. i miss having that job. i liked it, as shitty as it was. but i can't pay rent with it anymore, and it took too much out of me to be worth what it still pays